Pat McQuaid's UCI re-election bid comes under scrutiny from five national federations

Questions are now being asked as to whether Pat McQuaid can stand for re-election

The International Cycling Union has been asked to take a dispute over its forthcoming presidential election to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

USA Cycling, with the backing of several other national federations - Russia, Canada, Finland and Algeria - have written to UCI president Pat McQuaid asking for the judgement.

The Dubliner is being challenged by British Cycling's chairman Brian Cookson and the dispute centres on whether McQuaid should be allowed to stand for re-election despite not being nominated by his home federation Ireland, or Switzerland where he lives.

The letter from USA Cycling's president and chief executive Steve Johnson states: "We believe strongly enough about the legal principles involved to ask a court to resolve this constitutional dispute in due course.

"We also care enough about our international federation to try everything in our power to avoid a protracted battle that might cast the results of the election into doubt for many months to come."